Human faces are naturally asymmetrical, right down to our smiles. But sometimes dental issues can cause your smile to become notably asymmetrical. This can create bite problems and lower self-esteem. Your general or cosmetic dentistry specialist can help design a treatment program to correct the asymmetry and restore your confidence.

If you have teeth shifting vastly out of place and causing the asymmetry, you want to see an orthodontist. Otherwise, here are a couple of non-orthodontic potential treatments that can help, depending on what's causing the asymmetry.

Gums: Gum Graft or Gingivectomy

Maybe your teeth and jawbone are properly positioned, but lopsided gum tissue creates the illusion of an asymmetrical smile. Maybe one side of your smile has far higher or lower gum tissue than the other side. There are a couple of procedures your dentist can use to correct the problem.

If one side of your mouth has normal gum tissue and the other side has far shorter tissue, your dentist might recommend a gum graft.  Soft tissue is removed from the roof of your mouth and carefully used to patch in the short areas of gums. The tissue is stitched together and will heal together as one piece of tissue.

Is one side of your mouth normal but the other far higher, creating the look of unusually short teeth? A gingivectomy can help with this issue. Your dentist will numb the area with local anesthetic and use a sharp tool to carefully cut away the excess gum tissue. The remaining tissue might also be shaped to best fit the base of your teeth.

Bonds or Veneers

Is your asymmetry due to some teeth being far larger or smaller than the equivalent teeth on the other side? Your dentist might fix the problem using either bonds or veneers.

Tooth bonding involves painting a composite resin onto a tooth to slightly modify its shape. This is helpful if the asymmetry is due to chipped teeth or a row of teeth that are somewhat shorter than normal.

Veneers are used to treat more severe tooth shape issues. The dentist will file down your natural tooth until only the essential root canal and its immediately surrounding dentin are left. Veneers are made of a tooth-colored composite that is custom crafted to fit snugly over the remaining tooth. The tight custom fit of veneers allows your dentist to essentially redesign the appearance of your tooth without losing the gum and jawbone-stimulating tooth root.

For more information about these dental procedures, contact a professiona, such as one from Adobe Dentistry.